Love and Secrets
by MoonDragonLove
Summary: She had a secret, a secret that she held close and protected with all of her might. It was the secret that could either make or break her, literally. That secret was the one possession that no one could take from her, no matter what. Or could they?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

She was a girl with virtually no talents and nothing special about her; her grades were so-so, her athleticism was lacking desperately, and had no artistic ability whatsoever. In actuality, she wasn't the most gorgeous girl in the world either. Her hair was long (reaching the middle of her back) and was white ash blond. If she gave it a little time, her hair could be beautiful, but she simply washes it and then goes to bed causing it to be a mess of knots when she woke up in the morning. Her eyes the color of fresh moss, seemed to hold so much and showed signs of a hurting soul. Though at one time, they had been her favorite feature on herself, they hid behind thick framed glasses and looked as if they were permanently threatening to release un-cried tears down her rosy cheeks. She would always bite and chew on her lips, making them chronically chapped and cracked.

It was a surprise to many that she had managed to find a way into the prestigious halls of Ouran Academy, for she wasn't rich (nowhere near it really) nor was her family important in anyway. There was something about her (though no one could say what exactly) that made it seem as though she almost actually belonged with the children of wealthy families.

She had a secret though, a secret that she held close and protected with all of her might. It was the secret that could either make or break her, literally. That secret was the one possession that no one could take from her, no matter how hard they tried.

She had come from a small town in the middle of nowhere and she liked it there. She didn't want to leave the town she knew, but she did have to go. It was for the best for both her and her family.

She sat on her bed in her parents' house, just staring at the bare white wall in front of her. _This is no longer my room. I don't have to see these four walls ever again. _It was what she hated most about having to live in that house with her parents, always having to stare at the walls for lack of anything else to do. She had never been allowed to spend time with her friends outside of school and then she wasn't allowed to leave her room once she was home. It was where she grew up, confined in the four walls that had made up her entire world for seventeen years.

It was finally time for her to leave that godforsaken room and house to go somewhere that was going to be hers and no one else's. She lifted herself off of the bed and picked up her last two suitcases as she made her way down the hall, the thought of pausing to say one last good-bye to her parents never crossed her mind. She was finally done with them and nothing in the world could have made her happier. She sighed, _Well maybe one other thing, but for now this is the best I could ever hope for. _

As she walked up to the front door, she couldn't help but feel excitement and curiosity flowing through her. She wanted to know what her new home was going to be like and what her new school is going to look like. She wanted to know everything about what her new life was going to be like. Before her mind could register what was going on, her hand was on the doorknob to exit her life and enter a new one.

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><p><strong>I came up with this idea today during class and I'm liking it. What do you lovlies think? Please review ^^<strong>

**Megan (MoonDragonLove)**


	2. One Door Closed to Another Opened

**Chapter 1**

The cab was waiting outside of her house when she opened the door. She had never been in a cab before; there was no need to when everything in her town was so close if she ever had to go pick something up on those rare occasions she was "asked" to, so she was a tad nervous about it. The driver was leaning against the side of the vehicle with his arms crossed and his head down, almost as if he was sleeping. Nervous and excited, the blond girl held her head high as she made her way across the front lawn.

She stopped when she was only a foot or two away from the driver. She cleared her throat in an attempt to get his attention. He didn't move, so in her quiet, high-pitched almost child-like voice she said, "Excuse me."

He looked up then, seemingly surprised by the sight of the five foot eight inch girl standing in front of him. She wasn't surprised; most people were confused by her appearance after hearing her voice and vice versa. "Ready to go?" He asked finally. She nodded and handed him her suitcases as he reached for them to put in the trunk.

She climbed into the back of the cab and crossed her legs as she leaned back against the pleather covered seat. She didn't really know where she was going, didn't really care either. All she hoped was that it was nicer than the home she had known for her entire life. Not that there was anything wrong with the house, but that house was nothing like a home should be. _Maybe it'll be warm there? _She mused as the cab pulled away from her parents' house.

Looking out the window, she hoped that she'd never have to see the constant snow that plagued the town she knew. It snowed and was cold three-fourths of the year due to the fact that the town was situated in the northern mountains. "Have you ever been to Tokyo before?" She was startled by the sound of his voice, but answered with a shake of her head. She was afraid to ask him what it was like; she wasn't usually allowed to ask questions.

"Never? It's a busy place, full of people," he said. She nodded as she closed her eyes and tried to picture it. She felt claustrophobic just thinking about it. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else though." That made her smile as the image in her head changed from noisy and chaotic to noisy, chaotic, and somehow peaceful.

She opened her eyes slowly. "Does it snow there?" She sounded like a child asking something in a way where they wanted to hear a yes, she didn't want to hear a yes though.

He shook his head, "Not really, sorry."

She smiled for the first time in what seemed like a lifetime to her. "Don't be sorry," she said. "Snow is overrated anyway." The cab driver looked at her through the rearview mirror and let out a soft chuckle.

"It does seem as though you've seen enough of it," he said in a lighthearted tone. Her smile dropped slightly as she nodded. "You're a quiet girl, aren't you?"

She shrugged, but nodded once again. It was safer when she was quiet, that way she never had to worry about saying the wrong thing to anyone and she wouldn't have to worry about getting hurt. She rubbed her upper arm through her light blue hoodie where a bruise had shown up from her mother the other night. She had been surprised that the little bruise was all that had shown.

"You can call me Kinji, by the way. We are going to be stuck here together for the next hour." _An hour? I'm assuming we're going to Tokyo since he asked if I had ever been there, but I thought it was further than only one hour. _

"Isn't Tokyo further than that?" She asked as she stared out of the window at the passing cars and landscape. He made a sound that she took as a sound of confirmation.

"I'm only taking you to the airport. It'd be easier for you that way," he said. She pulled her eyes away from the sights that were beyond the thin piece of glass, to the reflected brown eye of the driver.

She was confused. "But I don't have a ticket." It was out of character for her to say anything that could begin anything close to an argument. Quickly, she averted her eyes to her hands that were folded in her lap.

"Don't worry, it's already bought and waiting for you at the gate," he said cheerfully. She didn't know why, but she liked Kinji. It had been so long since there was a person that she felt she truly liked.

After the hour long drive, Kinji helped her with her bags and showed her where the gate was. She thanked him and they parted ways. If she had thought she was nervous about riding in a cab, she was nearly petrified by the thought of being high up in the air with nothing to catch her if she fell. However, with a deep breath she boarded the flight and was on her way to Tokyo.

She was amazed by everything and everyone that was on the plane with her. They all looked so different and yet so similar in her eyes. There was a woman with her hair tied back and her wire framed glasses perched precariously on her nose as she typed something on her laptop; a man with black hair was reading over papers that were spread out on the tray table in front of him; another man was sleeping in what looked to be an expensive business suit. The nappy haired blond felt out of place amongst the busy and richly dressed people around her, she assumed it was because she was in first class. Even she was well aware that she didn't belong with them, but whoever it was that had paid for all of this apparently thought she did.

That made her wonder even more about where she was going. _Why would someone pay so much just for me? Even I know that I am nothing special._ She leaned her head back against the head rest and closed her eyes.

She hadn't realized she had fallen asleep until something next to her jostled her arm. Slowly, she peeled her eyes open and glanced at the person next to her. He had been there before she fell asleep, but she hadn't paid any attention to the raven-haired male that sat there with his laptop. "I didn't mean to wake you," he said in a level voice. She nodded though he wasn't looking at her. _Oh well, I'm awake now, right?_

"Do you happen to know when we'll land?" She asked as she averted her eyes away from him. She heard him move something before answering.

"About another hour," he answered. She nodded. She wasn't tired anymore and she didn't have anything to do for the remainder of the flight. She didn't want to talk to him and she didn't want to look out the window (she was sitting at the window seat). Instead of talking, she just let her mind wander as she imagined what her new home was going to look like. Now she knew it was in Tokyo, but she didn't know which part nor did she really know what Tokyo was like. Her curiosity finally got the better of her.

She looked back at the guy next to her, suddenly realizing that he couldn't have been much older than she was. "Have you been to Tokyo before?"

He raised a question brow, but didn't look at her. "Yes," he said with a slight nod.

"What's it like?" She asked. He merely glanced at her as he let out a slow breath.

"It's a difficult thing to explain. You'll just have to see for yourself." With that, she didn't even bother to ask him another question fearing that she was making him mad. She didn't mean to, she was just curious. For the remainder of the flight, she merely listened to the sounds around her; snoring from the man sleeping in front of her, a few hushed voices, and the clacking of keyboard keys from just about everyone around her.

People were getting off the plane and she felt as if she was just getting swept along as the other people rushed to get on with their busy lives. Without even a word of warning, she found herself and the baggage claim frantically searching for her four dark purple suitcases. She had seen the same pink one go by three times, but hers weren't there and she started panicking.

A hand went on her shoulder and she stood perfectly still though she was panicking even more than she had been when she just couldn't find her bag. "Are you having trouble?" A female's voice asked. The blond turned her head to see a woman with light brown hair smiling down at her. Slowly she nodded her head and the older woman dropped her hand from her shoulder.

"I can't find my bags… there are four of them, all dark purple," she stated. The woman smiled even more if that were possible.

"I have them. Yumi Yamahata, yes?" The brunette asked. Yumi nodded and followed the woman to where her bags sat piled up on themselves. "I'm here to take you to your new home Yumi."

Yumi smiled and attempted to pick up all of her bags, only to have the woman stop her and take two of them herself. "Thank you," Yumi said shyly.

"Call me Rae," the woman said kindly. "I'm also going to be watching over you while you're here to make sure you don't get into too much trouble," she added with a wink. Yumi cringed slightly; she had to be extra careful. _I wouldn't doubt that Rae could do ten times more damage than Mother and Father combined if she felt a need to._

Yumi nodded and followed behind Rae as she was led to a limo. She had never even seen a limo before let alone been in one, so when Rae held the door open for her, she hesitated before climbing in. _This has definitely been a day of firsts…_ she thought as she looked around at everything in the limo.

It was warm, even though the air conditioning was on in the limo. She wasn't used to it being so warm, so she pulled off her light blue hoodie revealing not only her yellow t-shirt, but also the new huge bruise on her arm and others that were beginning to fade. She glanced at them, but didn't do much else. They were what she saw every day, there was nothing interesting or shocking about them anymore.

Yumi looked out the darkened window at the darkening scenery around her. It was so different from the little town she had known. She leaned her head against the cool window and watched as everything went by, blurring as they did so. She Yumi closed her eyes and didn't open them until she felt the limo stop. "Here we are!" Rae sing-songed and stepped out to open the door for Yumi.

She stepped out as she wrapped her hoodie over her arms (to hide the bruises from view) and her jaw nearly dropped to the ground when she saw the place they had stopped in front of. "This is it?" She asked in disbelief. Rae smiled and nodded.

"Yes, you will be staying with the Morinozuka family. They have also contributed to funding your flight and your school expenses." Yumi didn't know what to say. She had never even met these people and now she would be living with them and they lived in a _mansion_! Rae told her to go ahead and go in and that she would have her bas brought in. Yumi nodded and took a small tentative step toward the house.

Rae gave the girl a gentle push closer to the house; Yumi looked over her shoulder at the smiling woman and with a sigh continued on the rest of the way to the door. She went to place her hand on the doorknob only to have it open before her skin connected with the metal. _One door closed to find another door open, _she thought to herself optimistically.

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><p><strong>So, I have really no idea where this story will eventually end up, but I have a very vague idea and it excites me xD Please review and tell me what you think or whatever you want to say.<strong>

**Megan (MoonDragonLove)**


	3. Safe

**Chapter 2**

Maids and butlers were standing inside the door as Yumi entered the house. In one day, she had seen more people than she had ever seen in her entire life and as she continued on through the house, various people were trying to help her with things. She just shook her head and said a small "No" to whatever they offered, until someone offered to take her hoodie for her. She was still using it as a shield. She nearly yelled the short word at the woman's face.

It took Yumi a second to realize what had happened, but when she did; tears sprung to her eyes and she held the hoodie up as if to protect herself with it. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell," she said, her voice filled with fear. Hands went on her shoulders and she cringed away, fearing for the worst. Yumi looked over her shoulder to see a tall man with black hair and dark brown eyes, his face appeared to be completely emotionless. When it dawned on her that he was the one that had his hands on her, she closed her eyes and tried to bite back the tears that were already falling in anticipation for what was going to come next. But when nothing did happen, she slowly opened her eyes and turned around to face him fully.

He dropped his arms to his sides, but wasn't doing anything except looking her over as if assessing her for damage. Damage is something she definitely had acquired over the years. She felt uncomfortable under his gaze, but she was too frozen with fear to do anything about it. From over his shoulder, Yumi saw Rae standing near the door with her bags piled up in a way similar to how they had been at the airport.

The older woman took a few steps closer to her and offered a kind smile. "Yumi," she said gently, "you're safe here."

_Safe._

It was a word she had heard so many times in her life that it had lost all meaning. No one was ever safe, everyone was meant to get hurt; at least that's how Yumi came to see it.

She dropped her eyes to the floor, no expression was on her face and all that was left of the previous occurrence was a slightly damp trail from her tears. That word was nothing more than a word in her eyes. "I see," she said simply. Yumi pulled her hoodie up and held it close to her chest. She glanced at the man and for the first time wondered who he was, not that she was going to ask, but she was curious.

"Rae is she here yet!" A voice called from another room somewhere in the massive house. Rae rolled her eyes.

"Would I be here if she wasn't?" She called back. Out of seemingly nowhere, a boy that looked ridiculously similar to the man popped up in front of Yumi causing her to let out a squeak of surprise. She took a step back so he wasn't so close to her.

He stuck out his hand. "Hi, I'm Satoshi Morinozuka. You're Yumi Yamahata, right?" He asked in a loud voice. Yumi nodded, but only looked at his hand. By taking his hand, her arm would be exposed and she was always told that she had to keep them covered when people outside of the family were around.

"I can't shake your hand," she said softly while looking at the floor. Her thick-framed glasses slid down her nose slightly and she used her hoodie to push them back up. Satoshi leaned over so he was in her line of sight.

"Why not?" He asked incredulously. She had to think about a reason that would seem plausible, but she couldn't. She shrugged and shook her head gently.

"I just can't," she said still without looking at him. He gave her a huge smile and went over to stand by the man that looked very similar to him.

"This is my older brother Takashi," he said proudly. "He's a third year in high school. What year are you in, Yumi?" She looked up at him, but without making eye contact. She never made eye contact with anyone.

"Second year in high school," she mumbled slightly before stifling a yawn. Satoshi rush over to her, taking her hand and saying something about how he was going to show her to her room that was only a few doors down from his. She was surprised though and dropped her hoodie, the one thing that was shielding her previous life from her new one.

Yumi instantly pulled her arms close to her body and tried to cover them as best she could. Satoshi let go of her and simply looked over her arms. Takashi took a step closer to her and placed his hand gently against her arm. She flinched away slightly at the touch of his rough hand. His hand went over a few of the faded scars and yellowing bruises that covered her arms (almost her entire body really). "They're nothing," she said. "I'm just really clumsy and fall over myself a lot."

He looked at her, right into her eyes before she had a chance to look away. She knew he knew that she was lying and it didn't matter to her. She always lied about it and it wasn't going to change for the people that allowed her to live with them.

"We already know of how your parents treated you," Rae said. Yumi's eyes widened; no one that had ever even had an inkling admitted to knowing. "You won't be treated that way here."

_That's what she had meant by safe. _Yumi dropped her arms to her sides and Takashi dropped his hand from her skin and simply looked at her. He could see the pain in her eyes through the protection of her thick glasses. _I won't be treated that way anymore? Is that possible? _"I'll be able to eat every night?" She asked, he voice full of hope.

Rae smiled and nodded her head even though the girl wasn't looking at her. "Of course! You can eat whatever you want, whenever you want." Yumi looked up and as if her stomach had heard those words, growled loudly. She blushed and wrapped her arms around her stomach. Satoshi gently took her hand and pulled off toward a hallway.

"Let's go get some dinner, Yumi! I hope you don't want any cake… Our cousin was over earlier," he explained as they entered a room that contained a long table. Yumi was overwhelmed by the size and extravagantness of everything in this house, she felt as if she shouldn't be allowed to be there, but she was glad that she was.

Satoshi pulled out a chair. "You can sit here next to me!" She walked over to where he stood by the chair and was surprised when he pushed it in for her. She mumbled a thank you. _He may be nice, but he's awfully loud…_

He sat down in the chair next to her and before any food was served, he began a long rambling monologue about his life. Yumi couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips. The sound startled not only her, but everyone else in the room. She quickly placed her hands over her mouth to keep any other foreign sounds in. It had been so long since she had last even laughed, let alone giggled. It was such a child-like sound. "I'm sorry," she said as she dropped her hands from her mouth. "I didn't mean to interrupt you."

"Why'd you laugh?" he asked curiously. Yumi cringed away, mistaking his curiosity for anger.

She shook her head, "It was nothing. Please, go on." She glanced at him through the nappy hair that fell between them.

"I'm not mad Yumi," he said. She lifted her head and looked at him for really the first time.

"You're… not?" She asked in amazement. He smiled and shook his head. _Maybe I really will be safe here. _

Takashi joined them at the table, sitting across from Yumi and Satoshi. Satoshi shook his head and he smiled. "Of course not!" Yumi lifted her head up and looked at him. _Now that I think about it, he doesn't seem like he's ever been angry in his life._

Satoshi continued on talking and Yumi listened to everything he said. Occasionally, he would ask Takashi to confirm something and he would give a nod. The man that was only a year older than her, that was quiet to the point where she didn't even know if he could talk, absolutely intrigued Yumi. She found herself glancing at him more than once while she tentatively ate the food that was in front of her.

Rae showed her to her new room and before leaving her to herself said, "I know it's not much, but you can decorate it anyway you like." Yumi looked at the woman with a smile. She hadn't been able to do anything to her old room; she just had to sit there unless her parents wanted her. "Maybe that's what we can do tomorrow since it's Sunday," Rae said thoughtfully.

Just before the woman left the room, Yumi stopped her. "Rae, where will I go to school?"

Rae faced the blond and smiled. "Ouran Academy of course!" Yumi nodded and let her leave.

_Ouran Academy. Even the people in my little town had heard of that school. A building full of rich kids that know nothing of the horridness of real life. _Yumi went into the attached bathroom that Rae had pointed out and turned on the shower. She let the water run over her hand as she sat on the side of the tub. Never before had she taken a comfortable shower, it was always too hot or too cold depending on what mood her mother had been in that night. When the water felt just right on her hand, she shed her yellow t-shirt and jeans. In the mirror that hung over the sink, she saw the purple bruises that covered her stomach and back, two of them were perfect outlines of hands.

Yumi closed her eyes and removed her bra and panties as she placed a foot under the flowing water. With a sigh of what she would describe as contentment, she entered the shower and simply stood there, reveling in the warm water. Yumi ran her fingers through her hair to allow the water to saturate the strands before using the mint scented shampoo that had been provided for her. When she finished washing, she simply stood under the water and enjoyed the feeling of it.

She turned off the water, though reluctantly, and stepped out of the shower. She pulled one of the fluffy white towels off of the rack and wrapped it around her body and used a smaller one to wrap around her hair. Yumi left the bathroom to dig through one of her suitcases to find an oversized red t-shirt and baggy black bottoms. She pulled on a new pair of panties and then the pants; she unwrapped the towel from her body as she pulled on the shirt.

As she returned to the bathroom, she folded up the towel and returned it to the rack. Yumi squeezed the wrapped up hair, trying to get out any excess water and pulled the towel off. She shook her hair and ran her fingers through it to get out some of the knots before attempting to use the brush. She pulled the brushed hair up as it she was going to put it into a ponytail and instead dropped it over her left shoulder.

Yumi left the bathroom and switched off the light. She stood in the half empty bedroom, the only light from the moon outside. Slowly, she made her way over to the large bed and pulled the heavy covers back. She had never been in a bed so big. Yumi pulled the warm blankets up to her chin and laid on the edge of the bed purely out of habit. Before she knew what was going on, she was asleep.

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><p><strong>Yay! Update! Well, here was another chapter of Love and Secrets. It's actually interesting for me to write a character like Yumi since I'm simply imagining how someone that had come from an abusive family, I don't know if it's exactly right, but it's how I think I would react to things. I was really just putting that out there. Violence never solves anything, end all wars, world peace and all that. <strong>

**Just because it's a big deal in my life at the moment, I'm just putting this here to get my thoughts out really. I recently found my brother on facebook and this is after not talking to him for the past like five years. I haven't seen my dad in just as long and now I am going to call him (though not right now) and I'm really nervous about it and I jsut wanted to get it in writing and I for once in my life don't have paper or a pen around me... Okay, I'm done now.**

**Thanks for reading and putting up with my life,**

**Megan (MoonDragonlove)**


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